ADRIAN, Mich. -- The No. 7 Adrian College ACHA WD1 hockey team hosted west coast University of Arizona Thursday evening, with a shutout 6-0 heater. Following Arizona they hosted No. 15 Michigan State University in a conference matchup, dominating the Spartans 8-1. Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs let their foot off the gas peddle falling to the Spartans at Michigan State, splitting the series with them.
Adrian opened its weekend with a commanding 6–0 victory over the University of Arizona, powered by a three-goal first period and a 34–19 shots-on-goal advantage. The Bulldogs wasted no time taking control. Senior Tyla Turnbull struck just 27 seconds into the game, finishing a setup from senior Taylor Robinson and junior Sierra Raatz to give the Bulldogs an early lead. Four minutes later, senior Ashlynn Stitt doubled the advantage on a quick passing play with sophomores Brenna Ward and Nadia Nickel. Senior Genessie Williams closed out the dominant opening frame with a power-play tally at 15:45, again assisted by Nickel. After a scoreless second period, the Bulldogs reignited their offense in the third. Robinson made it 4–0 just 32 seconds into the period, converting a feed from Turnbull. junior Sophie Kuzminski extended the lead to 5–0 at 3:09, and freshman Sydney Haggart capped the scoring with a power-play goal at 6:54. Senior goaltender Cassidy Dobson recorded her first shutout in a Bulldogs jersey recording 19 saves.
Adrian continued its dominant weekend Saturday evening with a commanding 8–1 win over Michigan State, using a balanced scoring attack and 48 shots on goal to take full control from start to finish. The Bulldogs opened the scoring early when junior Chloe Gregory buried a chance at 2:29 off passes from Turnbull and Robinson. Robinson added to the lead midway through the first on a setup from Haggart and Kuzminski. Michigan State briefly cut the deficit when they scored on the power play at 15:01, but that would be the Spartans only goal of the afternoon. The Bulldogs exploded in the second period, scoring four times to put the game out of reach. Turnbull struck just 21 seconds into the period, followed by Nickel finishing a power-play opportunity at 4:57. Gregory netted her second of the game at 7:43 shorthanded, and Robinson added another at 9:27 to stretch the lead to 7–1. Haggart capped the dominant frame at 14:04. Adrian added one more in the third when Nickel converted on the power play at 10:50, assisted by Williams and Robinson. Adrian's junior goaltender Taylor Kinkade was sharp throughout, stopping 25 of 26 shots for the win.
Adrian came up just short on Sunday, falling 2–1 on the road to Michigan State in a defensive battle that tightened as the game progressed. After a scoreless opening period, the Bulldogs struck first early in the second, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity when freshman Valentina Young buried her third of the season off a setup from Williams. Michigan State responded quickly, scoring back-to-back goals at 13:22 and 13:38 to take a 2–1 lead into the intermission. Despite generating 42 shots on goal and pushing hard throughout the third period, Adrian couldn't find the equalizer. The Bulldogs goaltender Olivia Towpich turned away 36 of 38 shots.
The WD1 Bulldogs now sit at a 13-7-2 overall recorded and 8-1 conference record and look to regroup into next weekend as they hit the road to No. 8 Niagara University on Saturday and Sunday.
